Directory Of Food Safety Laboratory Services Foreword

Section One: Official & Official Agency Laboratories

Part I: Health Laboratories - Microbiological Testing of Food

General Description of Food Microbiology Laboratories

The Food Microbiology Laboratories are Official Food Safety/Surveillance labs, whose statutory role is to test food for compliance with the relevant guidelines in order to safeguard public health. Microbiological analysis is carried out on water & a wide range of foodstuffs submitted to the laboratories primarily by Environmental Health Officers & consumers, but also hospitals and other agencies.

There are eight food microbiology laboratories, seven in the Republic of Ireland & one in Northern Ireland. The laboratories in the Republic of Ireland are administered by the Health Boards in which they are located, while the Belfast laboratory is within the management structure of the Belfast Link Laboratories (BLL). Most of the food microbiology labs are directly linked to their clinical counterparts. The Dublin Public Analyst’s laboratory provides a microbiological food testing service to the health boards, private industry & the general public.

These regional regulatory Labs are located in Cork, Belfast, Galway, Dublin (two), Waterford, Limerick & Sligo and generally serve the following areas:

1. 
   Cherry Orchard Public Health Lab: Eastern Regional Health Authority (Dublin, Kildare & Wicklow), North-Eastern (Cavan, Louth, Meath & Monaghan) & Midland Health Board (Laois, Longford, Offaly & Westmeath)
   
2. 
   Dublin Public Analyst’s Lab: Eastern Regional Health Authority (Dublin, Kildare & Wicklow), North-Eastern (Cavan, Louth, Meath & Monaghan) & Midland Health Board (Laois, Longford, Offaly & Westmeath). For test details etc, Please see the Dublin Public Analyst’s Laboratory entry in the directory.
   

Food samples are taken by Environmental Health Officers at various stages of the food chain and submitted to the labs. The test to be carried out depends on the particular food & the specific pathogen of interest. In broad terms, the functions of the laboratory may be described as the:

• 
  Analysis of food & water samples for a variety of food borne pathogens including indicator organisms;
  
• 
  Participation in the investigation & control of the outbreak of illness suspected of arising from food, water or environmental contamination;
  
• 
  The provision of relevant expert advice & support to EHO’s & Public Health Physicians;
  

All four labs undertake to varying degrees microbiological analysis of water. Details of food samples that fail to comply with the relevant standards or guidelines are notified to the appropriate authorities, i.e. Environment Heath Officers & food safety agencies. Such food products can be recalled, detained or withdrawn from the market.

Cherry Orchard Hospital

Ballyfermot

Dublin 10

Republic of Ireland

Tel: 00353 1-6206175/76

Fax: 00353 1-6231908

Email: elmcnamara@tinet.ie

Head of Laboratory: Dr. Eleanor McNamara
No. Food Safety Staff: 13(not all WTE) Accredited by: NAB
Service Contract: Food Safety Authority of Ireland Statutory Requirement: Yes

Year Established: N/A
Accessibility: Environmental Health Officers, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Health Board(s) and own Institution
Type of Food Safety Work: Food Borne Pathogens & Food Complaints
Techniques/ Instrumentation Used: Culture Methods, Immunoassay, Microscopy, Serological & Serotyping
Specialised Food Testing: E. coli 0157 using IMS vertoxin analysis

Specialised Equipment: VIDAS machine, IMS technology, Real Time PCR, Pulse field gel electrophoresis.

Details of Food testing or/and Research carried out
Sample Type	Test Parameter	Technique(s) Used
Food and Water	Salmonella spp.	Culture & immunoassay
Food and Water	Listeria spp., Campylobacter spp., Cl. Perfringens, Coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, Aerobic Colony Count, E. Coli, S. aureus & B. cereus	Culture
Food and Water	E. coli O157:H7	IMS Culture & immunoassay
Research Areas: Molecular Biology & Microbiology